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E. RANSOM. lPYIGKBT PBNGB MAGHINB.

No. 404,933. Patented June 11, 1889.

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E. RANSOM. PIGKET 11111105 1111111111111.Y No. 404,933. Patented June 11, 1889.

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EZRA RANSOM, OF FLINT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE- ASSIGNMENTS, OF TVO-THIRDS TO OREN STONE, OF SAME PLACE.

` PlCKET-FENCE MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 404,933, dated June 11, 1889.

Application led February 18J 1889. Serial No. 300,356. (No model.)

yTo all whom it may 0079/0671711:

Be it known that I, EZRA RANSOM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Flint, in the county of Genesee and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Picket-Fence Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in picket-fences; and the-invention consists in the peculiar construction, arrangement, and combination of the different parts, all as more fully hereinafter described, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis an elevation of my picket-fence machine as in operation, and with my wiretension device shown in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of my fence-machine asin operation. Fig. 3 is a diagram elevation of the machine and the supporting guide-rail. Fig. 4 is an elevation of a twister-spool. Fig. 5 is a section on line c :n in Fig. et. Fig. 6 is a section on line Y Y in Fig. Fig. 7 is a plan of the spreaderdisk. Fig. 8 is a section on line Z Z in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a sectional perspective of the .brake mechanism on the wire-tension, and

Fig. l0 is a vertical central section through one of the tension-spools.

A is a standard.

B are brackets secured to one edge of the standard and carrying the rotary twister.

O are vertical guide bearings formed integrally with the brackets B. D is a vertical shaft journaled in these guide-bearings.

E isa bevel-gear secured on the shaft D. F is another bevel-gear engaging therewith and forming a drive pinion, to which the crank-handle G is secured.

I-I are skew-gear bevel-wheels secured upon the shaft D to communicate motion te the twister.

I are the rotary twisters, and J are circumferential skew-gears upon the hub of the twisters.

a are the hollow hubs of the twisters.

b is a diametrical cross-bar formed integrally with the huh of the twisters.

C are wire-passages in the cross-bar twisters.

K is a centrally-apertured cap.

d is an annular iiange in the cap, forming a bearing for one end of the hub of the twisters, and e is a corresponding annular flange formed on the bracket B to form a corresponding bearing for the other end of theh'ub of the twisters.

f are diametrically-opposite ears formed on the cap K.

f are corresponding ears formed in the bracket B.

g are bolts securing the cap K to the twistf ers through the ears.

L are so-called bumpers adjustably secured to the standard A.

IWI is a picket-clamp secured to the standard, and N is a picket-guide vertically adjustably secured near the top of the standard. The standard A is pivotally supported some distance above its longitudinal center at O to the frame of a carriage, preferably formed of a metal bar or bars, the upper portion P of which is arched, while the lower portion Q is formed on a radius with the pivot O, and is provided with the slot Q', through which a clamping-bolt provided with a clamping-nut Spasses to adj ustably secure the standard to the frame of the carriage. This frame is provided upon opposite sides of the standard with the travelers P and with the laterally-projecting guide-flanges P2.

R is the guide-rail upon which the carriage travels, which is preferably grooved upon its upper end to form a guide-track for the traveles of the carriage, and is supported at the en ds upon legs T, the lower ends of which are provided with shoes T. The legs and guidera-il are rigidly united together by means of flanged angle-plates U, to which the legs and guide-rail are respectively bolted, and below theguide-rail R the legs are united by the sub-guide-rail R', which prevents the machine from tipping. One of the legs is provided with buttons T2, by means of which one end of the guide-rail may be 4secured to t-he fence, as shown in Fig. 2.

The tension device consists of a suitable frame i, provided with vertical bearings j, in

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" nut S some distance below its center.

which the squared shaft 7s is vertically journaled by means ot tubular sleeves 7, which are interiorly squared to tit the shaft 7,1, and are provided upon the upper ends with a ratchet- Vflange m. i

n are spools loosely sleeved upon the shaft 7.1, tree to turn, and the upper end of these spools is provided with a wrench-hold n', and the lower end carries a dog o, adapted to engage with the ratchet fm..

j) are tension-cables wound upon the spools a.

gare sheavesholding the'ends of the strands et the wires, and are secured to the ends of the tensioitcables by means of a swivel connection q.

fr is a gear-wheel secured uponthe shaft 71".. s is a pinion engaging therewith.

t is a shaft upon which that pinion is secured, and which is j ournaled in suitable vertical bearings on the traine.

u is a brakewheel secured upon said shaft, and c is a brake-shoe acting against the face otl the brake-wheel. This brake-shoe is provided with an adjustable tension consisting of the lever uf, pivotally secured to the frame and carrying at one end the brakeshoe, while the other end connected to the tensionspring yg/ by means ot the adjustable connection rlhe parts being constructed and arranged as shown and described, they are intended to operate as follows: The operation of the inachine, as far as the weaving of the fence is eo11cerned,is not substantially different from that oil other machines, especially that for which Letters Patent were granted to me, No. 23.`l5,5S6, dated January l, 1889, and on which my present application intended as an improvement. One oi' my improvements consists in the construction. of the carriage, to which the standard is now pivotall y connected some distance above its longitudinal center and ad justa-bly by means of the clamping screw- By this means the standard may be readily adj listed to the perpendicular in going up and down hill. At the same time the machine is supported in a very substantial manner by the carriage, and the latter cannot jump its track, as the guide-flanges l)2 extend underneath the giiide-rail R. To disengage the machine from the guide-rail it has to "be 1i ppcd sidewise until the flanges P2 are withdrawn from underneath the guide-rail. The frame oi' the carriage forms at the same time a convenient means for moving the carriage upon the guide-rail, and a suitable hand-hold G maybe formed thereon. The wire-passages C through the twisters appreach `nearer the center ol' the twisters than in the former machine. The advaiiitage I derive therefrom is that it takes considerably less power to twist the wires and to overcome the dil'ticulty which would naturally result th eretrom-that is, otl briiiging the two strands ot' wire so close t-ogethel' that lit is difficult to put a new picket between-and this l overcome by using upon said strand of wires a sliding spreader A, the construction ot which is shown in Figs. 7 and S. This spreader is provided with two parallel edges, which are grooved a sut'iicient distance apart from each other to hohl the two wires of said strand apart when placed between, as shown in. liig. l. These spreaders interfere in no way with the weaving of the fence, as it will be seen that after one picket is woven and the ma chine is withdrawn the necessary distance to insert the new picket the spreader slides alon between the wires, and when the machine is pushed back again, as in the action oi bumping the new picketinto place, the spreaders are left. These spreaders maybe constructed in any suitable manner. However, for the con venience ot' forming the grooves into the opposite edges, I cast it into two parts, riveted or otherwise secured together.

Another part oi' the improvement relates to the construction of the tension device, and the adjustable tension is obtained by the brake mechanism described. It will be seen that each tension cable or wire can be tighty ened independently of the other by means ot a wrench applied to the wrench-holds 'a et' the spools. lly increasing or diminishingthe tension of the spring y] on the end ot the brake-lever fw, the tension of all the wires is increased or decreased. rlhe construction at'- tords a very easy and accurate regulation et the tension.

Vhat l claim as my invention isl. The combination, with a twister oi' a picket -fence machine, o an independent spreader formed of two parts detachably secured together and slidingly engaging between the two wires of a strand in advance of the twister, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a picket-t`ence machine, ot the twister-trame, a carriage pivotally secured thereto, and consisting of the frame P, pivotally secured at C) to the stamt ard above its longitudinal center and provided below its longitudinal center with the circular slotted portion Q, the clamping-bolt and clan/ip-nut S, adjustably securing the same to the standard, and the travelers P', substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a picket-tence machine, ot the twister-frame, a carriage pivotally secured thereto, and consisting of the frame P, pivotally secured at O to the standard above its longitudinal center and prit vided with the circular slotted portion Q,the clamping-bolt and clamping-nut S, adjustably securing the same to the standard, the travelers l, the guide-rail R, and the guidetlanges I, projecting underneath said guiderail, substantially as described.

si. The herein-described tension mechanism, consisting ol' the ltrame, the shaft 7.', the sleeves 7, having the ratchettlauges m, the

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spools fn, upon which the tension-cable is presence of tWo Witnesses, this 14th day of Wound, and provided with a dog,` 0 and Wrenoh- December, 1888.

holds n the O'emr-Wheel a", the pinion s the brake-Wlieel @i the brake-shoe fu, md7 the EZRA RANSOM' 5 brake-lever w, adjustably secured to the ten- Vitnesses:

sion-spring y, substantially as described. J. PAUL MAYER,

In testimony whereof Iai'iixmysiglmtuie, in P. M. HULBERT. 

